Wisdom based Light Path Monk

[pyntsized]

First off, I would like to give credit to Hydro for his wonderful Metaru build that this was based off of (see his build here:
Second, I would like to thank Anthios888 for her monk build ( because it showed me that monks can be good, after I created the gimpest monk ever (pyntsized's first life on G-land).
Now, on to the build.


Race:
Half-orc because of the STR enhancements and extra base STR.

Alignment:
Lawful Neutral because in this build you will end up using a pair of wraps with taint of evil on them. Also because you take less damage this way.

Stats:
[U]34-pt build
STR: 16
DEX: 16
CON: 15 (round out to 16 on 36-pt build)
INT: 6
WIS: 16
CHA: 6

Stat Analysis at LVL 25
Note: Yugo pots are not included because I do not have the favor for them yet. Add +2 to Stat if you have the favor for Yugo pots.
[U]Strength:
16 Base + 7 Item + 1 Exceptional - 2 Grandmaster of Oceans Stance + 2 Insightful + 2 Tome + 2 Enhancement =
28 Standing Strength
+ 5 Primal Scream =
33 Self-Buffed Strength
+ 1 Bard Song + 2 Ship=
36 Situational Strength

Dexterity:
16 Base + 8 Item + 3 Insightful + 2 Tome =
29 Standing Dexterity
+ 2 Bard Song + 2 Ship =
33 Situational Dexterity

Constitution:
15 Base(16 if 36-pt) + 2 Insightful + 7 Item + 3 Tome =
27 Standing Constitution
+ 5 Primal Scream =
32 Self-Buffed Constitution
+ 2 Bard Song +2 Ship =
36 Situational Constitution

Intelligence:
6 Base + 2 Tome =
8 Standing Intelligence
+ 2 Ship + 2 Bard Song =
12 Situational Intelligence

Wisdom:
16 Base + 7 Item + 2 Insightful + 2 Enhancements +2 Capstone + 4 Tome + 4 Grandmaster of Oceans Stance + 6 level ups + 2 Epic Destinies =
45 Standing Wisdom
+ 2 Bard Song + 2 Ship =
49 Situational Wisdom

Charisma:
6 Base + 3 Tome =
9 Standing Charisma
+ 2 Bard Song + 2 Ship =
13 Situational Charisma

Hit Points:
200 Base + 20 Heroic Durability + 10 Draconic Vitality + 27 Toughness + 160 Constitution Bonus + 20 Toughness Item + 20 Way of Patient Tortoise + 20 Racial Toughness Feat =
477 Standing Hit Points
+ 60 Constitution Bonus from Primal Scream =
537 Self-Buffed Hit Points
+ 20 Constitution Bonus from Bard Song +20 Constitution Bonus from Ship =
577 Situational Hit Points

Level 25 Stats in Ocean Stance :
STR: 28 (+9)
DEX: 29 (+9)
CON: 27 (+8)
INT: 8 (-1)
WIS: 45 (+17)
CHA: 9 (-1)

Feats:
Free: PL Fighter
1: Power Attack (PA)
1: (Monk) Stunning Fist
2: (Monk) Discipline
3: Toughness
3: (Path) Path of Harmonius Balance
6: Two Weapon Fighting
6: (Monk) Dodge
9: Improved Two Weapon Fighting
12: Improved Critical Bludgeoning Weapons
15: Greater Two Weapon Fighting
18: Mobility
21: Vorpal Strikes
24: Improved Martial Arts

Feat Analysis:
Power Attack:
+5 to damage -5 to hit base and +8/-8 with max Half Orc Power Attack enhancements. The large penalty to hit makes no difference with the new bonus to hit you get from being proficient in your weapon and the increase in damage is extremely nice.

Two Weapon Fighting Chain
Maxxed out allows you to have an 80% chance to proc an offhand attack. Obviously a huge DPS increase for any character. Monks are also the only class that receives full STR bonus in their off hand.

Stunning Fist
Stunned mobs take 1.5x damage from attacks. This is a HUGE dps increase for you and for party. Increases solo-ability. Must have for all monk WIS builds.

Path of Harmonious Balance
Light strike puts healing curse on enemy, meaning you heal by hitting the mob. Light:Light:Light finisher heals party members around you, great for when you are in a raid and want to help out a little bit.
Earth:Light:Earth finisher is a must-have for raids where stun is big.
Fire:Light:Fire finisher increases nearby allies skills by +2 untyped which is great for helping out rogues.
Air:Light:Air finisher gives 20% concealment bonus to nearby allies, which reduces the hits they take making healers have an easier time healing.
Water:Light:Water finisher gives 25% SP reduction, which is great for buffs at the start of a quest.

Toughness
27 more hit points at level 25 and it unlocks Racial Toughness enhancements.

Improved Critical Bludgeoning Weapons
Makes your fists crit on a 19-20/x2 vs. a 20/x2. Required feat for any DPS character.

Improved Martial Arts
This feat adds an extra W (1d6) damage to your attack that stacks with the past life feat and all gear bonuses.

Vorpal Strikes
Hits get the vorpal enchantment, and you bypass DR/Slash. No more kamas needed for zombies.

Dodge and Mobility
Increased dodge %

Discipline
Needed for Shintao Monk PrE, increases concentration by 2, and increases fort save by 1.

Skill Points:
Lvl 1: 4 in concentration, 3 in balance, 1 in tumble
Lvl 2-7: 1 in concentration, 1 in balance
Lvl 8-20: 1 in concentration, 1 in balance, 1 for your choice

Lvl 25 Concentration:
24 base + 8 CON Mod + 15 Item + 4 Enhancement + 10 Capstone + 4 Patient Tortoise + 2 Discipline + 5 Epic Skills =
72 Standing Concentration

Enhancements
Note: Probably not hit 80 AP with these enhancements, will have to take a closer look
Enhancement: Monk Serenity
Enhancement: Orcish Fury 1-2
Enhancement: Orcish Power Attack 1-3
Enhancement: Orcish Strength 1-2
Enhancement: Way of the Patient Tortoise 1-4
Enhancement: Racial Toughness 1-2
Enhancement: Monk Wisdom 1-2
Enhancement: Shintao Monk 1-3
Enhancement: Concentration 1-4
Enhancement: Ocean Stance 1-3
Enhancement: Wind Stance 1-3
Enhancement: Monk Improved Recovery 1-3

Why Water and Air Stance?
Water improves wisdom by 4, saves by 4, dodge % by 4, and passive ki regen by 1. This means that with capstone and some playing around with Epic Destinies, you can hit a passive ki regen of at least 3, probably more. (-2 STR from stance)
Air improves dexterity by 4, attack speed by 15%, and doublestrike chance by 10%. This is a nice dps increase that doesn't gimp wis. (-2 CON from stance)

Epic Destinies
The best Epic Destiny to go into as a monk, IMO, is Grandmaster of flowers. Why? Because GMoF gives:
+60 ki
+6 SR
Slippery Mind Feat
+3 DC to tactical feats (i.e. stunning fist)
immunity to slippery surfaces
tumbling through enemies
immunity to most knockdowns
+1 ki regeneration
These are just the passively granted ones at lvl 5 GMoF. You also gain the ability to cast heal spell on yourself for 30 ki (5 min cooldown) and restore 25-125 ki (3 min cooldown.

Abilities to take from level 1:
Lily Petal---1 DP
Enlightenment T3---3 DP
A Dance of Flowers T3---3 DP
Passive Wisdom---2 DP

Abilities to take from level 2:
Hail of Blows---1 DP

Abilities to take from level 3:
Orchid Blossom---1 DP
Walking with Waves T3---3 DP

Abilities to take from level 4:
Piercing Clarity T2---2 DP

Abilities to take from level 5:
Drifting Lotus---1 DP
Passive Bonus Wisdom---2 DP

Abilities to take from level 6:
A scattering of Petals---1 DP
Everything is Nothing---2 DP

Twists:
Brace for Impact T2 (level 0 ability from Unyielding Sentinel)
Sense Weakness T3 (level 4 ability from Fury of the Wild)
Legendary Tactics T3 (level 0 ability from Legendary Dreadnought)

Items:
Head: Epic Shining Crest of St. Markus (+90 devotion, greater healing lore, deathblock, heavy fortification slotted)
Trinket: Planar Focus of Subterfuge (Ins. DEX +3, Planar Focus of Subterfuge set bonus)
Necklace: Shintao Cord (CON +6, Concentration +15, Shintao Monk set bonus)
Belt: Belt of the Sun Soul (CON +7, Ins. WIS +2, Concentration +15, Way of the Sun Soul set bonus)
Goggles: Drow Smoke Goggles (Spot -5, Blindness Immunity, Manslayer, Seeker +6)
Cloak: Adamantine Cloak of the Wolf (Exceptional Seeker +5, Dodge Bonus +4%, Attack Bonus +4, Diversion 20%)
Gloves: Purple Dragon Gauntlets (STR +7, Ins. CON +2, Healing Amplification +30%, Knight's Loyalty set bonus)
Wrist: Bracers of the Sun Soul (WIS +7, Ins. CON +2, Superior Parrying, Way of the Sun Soul set bonus)
Ring 1: Kyosho's Ring (Exceptional STR +1, WIS +6, Holy Burst slotted)
Ring 2: Seal of House Avithoul (Sneak Attack Bonus +5, Exceptional Sneak Attack Bonus +3, Improved Deception, Random Lesser Ability Bonus[doesn't matter, will overlap no matter what])
Weapon: Antipode (+7 enhancement bonus, antipodal, doublestrike 6%, Reinforced Fists, Stunning +10, Planar Focus of Subterfuge set bonus added)
Armor: Spider-spun Caparison (DEX +8, Armor Bonus +9, Resistance Save +6, Enhanced Ki +1, Reinforced Fists, Concentration +15, Toughness, Way of Sun Soul set bonus added)

For items, you can also substitute silver flame amulet/talisman and minos legens for head and neck. you will still keep deathward and heavy fort, but you won't have the Shintao item set bonus.

Set Bonuses:
Planar Focus of Subterfuge set bonus: Exceptional Sneak Attack Bonus +5, True Seeing, Dodge bonus 3%
Shintao Monk set bonus: +2 Exceptional Bonus to To-Hit and Damage, Unarmed attacks bypass Good and Evil damage reduction, 15% additional melee threat generation
Way of the Sun Soul set bonus:
Water - When you roll a natural 20 on an attack roll and confirm it as a critical hit, you will gain the benefits of a Fire Shield (Cold) spell for the next ten seconds. This ability cannot trigger more than once every twenty seconds.
Air - When you roll a natural 20 on an attack roll and confirm it at a critical hit, you will benefit from the effects of Freedom of Movement. and a 6% Morale bonus to Doublestrike chance for the next ten seconds. This ability cannot trigger more than once every twenty seconds

DR Breaking
Once you are fully geared, level 25 and have adapted enhancements and Epic Destinies to what I have mentioned above, you will be able to break Bludgeoning, Slashing, Magic, Good, Evil, Lawful, Silver, Byeshk, Cold Iron, and Adamantine DR. In other words, you break almost all the DR in the game.

Stun DC
As a wisdom based build, you would expect to have a high stun DC.
10 base + 12 Character Level Bonus + 10 Stunning item + 3 DC from Epic Destiny + 1 DC from Fighter Past Life (free version) + 17 Wisdom Mod +6 Legendary Tactics Twist =
59 Standing Stun DC
+ 2 Wisdom Mod from Bard song + 1 Wisdom Mod from Ship=
62 Situational Stun DC

The original Metaru apparently had 60-62 Stun DC, with lower wisdom. I'm hoping I am missing something so that the stun DC will be higher

AC Calculations
10 base + 9 Item + 15 Monk AC Bonus + 17 WIS Bonus + 9 DEX Bonus + 4 Superior Parrying + 6 Walking with Waves =
70 Standing AC
+ 1 WIS bonus granted by bard song + 1 DEX bonus granted by bard song + 1 WIS Bonus granted by ship buff + 1 DEX bonus granted by ship buff + 3 Barkskin + 3 Ship Buffs =
80 Situational AC

Save Calculations
12/12/12 Base
5/5/5 Grandmaster of Oceans stance
6/6/6 Resistance Bonus
0/0/17 WIS Bonus
8/0/0 Con Bonus
0/9/0 DEX Bonus
2/2/2 Brace for Impact Bonus
33/34/42 Total

Thank you for reading my build. I have not rolled this character yet as my fighter is till working on getting the items for him. Feel free to make suggestions and comments on the build. I am not saying this is the best monk ever, this is only my first monk build idea and I feel that it is pretty solid.

[TeacherSyn]

Looks like a strong build by the numbers. Let us know how it works in practice. That Epic St. Markus helm would be such a winner; gives me a reason to run DQ again since that adventure existed before Monks were added to DDO, if others tell me correct.

[pyntsized]

Shoot! I didn't realize the st. Markus helm was from sands. That mean I'll end up using my slightly less powerful head/neck combo of minos and silver flame talisman unless I get the helm before I TR. Your book of syncletia is nice spencer, only guide I have seen that is written like it would be taught instead of just blatantly saying things. Nice job with it.

[Coyopa]

Everything is Nothing is not free.

[FuzzyDuck81]

Good build, but maybe ditch discipline & take precision instead - its also one of the possible shintao prerequisites & in addition to boosting the to-hit, it'll let you bypass 25% of fortification & doesn't reduce base damage any more.

edit: just noticed you put power attack in... in that case ditch discipline & take cleave - its also a shintao prereq. & dishing out a roundhouse kick to a group of enemies is always a laugh & the +[w] from it is nice.. great in mid levels with a paralyser too, you can open combat with that then follow up with a stunning fist & immobilise groups of enemies at once, great fun! :) Also, once you've got vorpal strikes those rare multiple vorpals from a cleave are just brilliant :)

[SensaiRyu]

Quick feat suggestion: Take Vorp Strikes at lvl 21.

Looking at your ED selections for GMoF:
Use this (http://ddodestiny.info/#d/grandmaster_of_flowers) for planning. You'll run out of points (well... you'll have 1 point left) when you take Scattering. No EiN. No second Wis.

With your wisdom, taking Enlightenment doesn't get you that much. I'd take Balance for the +3% dodge.

[Coyopa]

Quick feat suggestion: Take Vorp Strikes at lvl 21.

Looking at your ED selections for GMoF:
Use this (http://ddodestiny.info/#d/grandmaster_of_flowers) for planning. You'll run out of points (well... you'll have 1 point left) when you take Scattering. No EiN. No second Wis.

With your wisdom, taking Enlightenment doesn't get you that much. I'd take Balance for the +3% dodge.

I took three points in Enlightenment on my monk, who had an unbuffed Wisdom of 46 at level 25 (I've since TR'd him). I like it for the extra +1 passive ki generation - and I was able to spend every bit of ki I was generating.

EDIT: He regenerated up to ~75% of his total ki and could maintain ~93% without decay. Very nice for going into a big battle fully armed and able to use all kinds of special attacks!

My GMoF selections were/are:

Lily Petal
Enlightenment x3
Dance of Flowers x2
Hail of Blows
Orchid Blossom
Piercing Clarity x2
Scattering of Petals
Everything is Nothing
Wisdom
Wisdom

EDIT: Took four Wisdom modifiers - not two!

As for the OP's selections, I'll say this:

Dancing with Flames really does nothing for you unless you're going to be in fire stance. The extra +1 damage is nice, but since he's not planning on being in fire stance, then there is no reason to take this.

Standing with Stone is another one that is basically useless. IMO, even when you're in mountain stance, it's still useless. 3 points to get +15 hp, 12 acid resist, and 15 PRR? No thanks. The cost:benefit ratio is insufficient.

Twists? I opted for Sense Weakness, Legendary Tactics, and Brace for Impact. My stunning fist DC at level 25 was 65 unbuffed. I don't really have much to say about his other selections. You can see the value I place on the ones he made that do not match my own selections and that's enough said (and simply a difference of opinion). Would I like to have some of the selections he made? Sure would! I'm just unwilling to drop selections I made in favor of ones he made that I do not already have.

[pyntsized]

I've decided to keep dodge and mobility after it being suggested to me to take cleave/great cleave. IMO, a little more dodge % is better than single attacks with +W, but that is personal preference. Because of this, I won't be taking balance for extra dodge % as mine should be pretty high already (6% monk + 4% ocean stance + 5% feat + 4% item + 3% subterfuge set bonus [if it stacks] + 3% Epic Destinies= 25% dodge).
to whoever suggested legendary tactics, I didnt realize that you could twist passive abilities. I heard from someone that you could only twist active abilities. This will change my twists up a lot, I'll probably end up adding legendary tactics and dropping scream or spring for any other tactic increasing abilities I can.
changing the level I take vorpal strikes to 21 is a good idea, ty.
I did my ED choices rather hastily and so dancing with flames and standing with stone were just point fillers. Without them I'll free up DP for EiN and maybe a second wis.

[Anthios888]

I disagree with the folks suggesting Cleave. It has a few situations, like when you're starting a fight. It's not so good on two weapon fighters, because it will not proc offhand attacks. Dodge is one of the best defensive stats, and it's really hard to get the max on a monk, so those feats are going to be helping you all the time.

[QuantumFX]

I disagree with the folks suggesting Cleave. It has a few situations, like when you're starting a fight. It's not so good on two weapon fighters, because it will not proc offhand attacks. Dodge is one of the best defensive stats, and it's really hard to get the max on a monk, so those feats are going to be helping you all the time.

The only thing is: It’s not Dodge vs. Cleave. It’s Discipline vs. Cleave. The OP is using it as his Shintao prereq.

[Anthios888]

The only thing is: It’s not Dodge vs. Cleave. It’s Discipline vs. Cleave. The OP is using it as his Shintao prereq.

I think others (myself included) already suggested Precision or Luck of Heroes instead of Discipline. Cleave would be fine there. I just wouldn't drop Dodge/Mobility or anything else useful for Great Cleave.

Keep in mind, this build doesn't meet the strength for overwhelming critical (as the OP pointed out to me!)

[jbleargh]

Stunning fist DC...

You are missing the Exceptional Combat Mastery +5 from the dunrobar ring or the belt from the challenges.

[Lonnbeimnech]

A lot of people dont like cleave on a twf because no off hand procs, but it is still a dps increase when you are fighting more than one mob at the same time, and that happens all the time.

Figure there is an 80% chance to hit one mob with the off hand, but if you cleave there is a 100% chance you attack both of them.

As far as precision, with the crit profile of 19-20 x2, that's a 25% chance 10% of the time to do double damage... hardly seems worth it. Makes more sense on a dark monk and/or earth stance monk.

[pyntsized]

Stunning fist DC...

You are missing the Exceptional Combat Mastery +5 from the dunrobar ring or the belt from the challenges.
I looked into the dun'robar ring and the spare hand belt for extra DC. However, I wouldn't be able to slot it with my current item set-up. Also, using the ring would remove the shintao set bonus, removing my good and evil DR bypassing. This would cause me to need good wraps, removing antipode and therefore losing +10 stunning and 6% doublestrike. In other words, decreasing dps and stun over-all. Besides, at 59 or so stun DC, I will have no trouble stunning mobs on EH, which is what I usually end up running. And if I decided to run EE, I would have a good stun chance regardless. The original Metaru build runs around with only a little bit more stun than this will and says he does fine on EE.
I'm also debating swapping healing spring for fast healing from the fury of the wild destiny so that I will have constant healing, in addition to healing touch/ki, wholeness of body, and the GMoF heal spell casting ability.

[johnnyputrid]

I looked into the dun'robar ring and the spare hand belt for extra DC. However, I wouldn't be able to slot it with my current item set-up. Also, using the ring would remove the shintao set bonus, removing my good and evil DR bypassing. This would cause me to need good wraps, removing antipode and therefore losing +10 stunning and 6% doublestrike. In other words, decreasing dps and stun over-all. Besides, at 59 or so stun DC, I will have no trouble stunning mobs on EH, which is what I usually end up running. And if I decided to run EE, I would have a good stun chance regardless. The original Metaru build runs around with only a little bit more stun than this will and says he does fine on EE.

The only time you are going to really need to worry about breaking DR is against boss monsters, and for that any old pair of holy wraps will do. For 99% of all your trash-killing needs, Grave Wrappings for the win. Keep in mind also that a tier 3 Epic Spare Hand will have two handy slots, +5 to stun DCs (including Kukan-Do), +3 UMD and +3% doublestrike. Using wind stance, the Spare Hand and your destiny abilities, you can easily have a doublestrike chance of 16%.

Food for thought.


I'm also debating swapping healing spring for fast healing from the fury of the wild destiny so that I will have constant healing, in addition to healing touch/ki, wholeness of body, and the GMoF heal spell casting ability.

I would look into twisting Brace for Impact from Unyielding Sentinel. The extra 40% fort and +2 to all saves is handy, especially considering how easy it is for monsters to bypass a portion of your fortification now. If you really need constant healing, a set of Ivy Wraps along with FoL will do the job fine.

[jb111]

Nice build Pyntsized. Have you put it in the online character generator? I would like to tweak the build a little. I recently sprang for the +4 strength upgrade tome and would like to explore overwhelming critical. Also my current Shintao build uses void 4 - wondering if I can fit it in next life. Everything seems to be death warded are high level so not sure it's worth it. This shouldbe a fun build - love the monks!

[SensaiRyu]

[Snip]
Standing with Stone is another one that is basically useless. IMO, even when you're in mountain stance, it's still useless. 3 points to get +15 hp, 12 acid resist, and 15 PRR? No thanks. The cost:benefit ratio is insufficient.

Twists? I opted for Sense Weakness, Legendary Tactics, and Brace for Impact. My stunning fist DC at level 25 was 65 unbuffed. I don't really have much to say about his other selections. You can see the value I place on the ones he made that do not match my own selections and that's enough said (and simply a difference of opinion). Would I like to have some of the selections he made? Sure would! I'm just unwilling to drop selections I made in favor of ones he made that I do not already have.

OTOH... Standing with Stone gets me to a PRR of 30 which allows me to shrug off several types of mobs. I run in Earth IV. I'm starting to consider getting some doublestrike bonuses and trying air again...

I often twist in Haste and Dmg boost from LD and Lithe from Shadowdancer when I'm in GMoF. Sense weakness is a very nice twist also...

[cru121]

Inspire Excellence grants +2 to all stats, not a +4.

[pyntsized]

Inspire Excellence grants +2 to all stats, not a +4.
I'm talking about the +4 bonus to a single stat that a bard can get (through fatesinger I believe)

[pyntsized]

The only time you are going to really need to worry about breaking DR is against boss monsters, and for that any old pair of holy wraps will do. For 99% of all your trash-killing needs, Grave Wrappings for the win. Keep in mind also that a tier 3 Epic Spare Hand will have two handy slots, +5 to stun DCs (including Kukan-Do), +3 UMD and +3% doublestrike. Using wind stance, the Spare Hand and your destiny abilities, you can easily have a doublestrike chance of 16%.

Food for thought.



I would look into twisting Brace for Impact from Unyielding Sentinel. The extra 40% fort and +2 to all saves is handy, especially considering how easy it I
s for monsters to bypass a portion of your fortification now. If you really need constant healing, a set of Ivy Wraps along with FoL will do the job fine.

yeah, I have a feeling I am not going to end up twisting primal scream. Brace for impact is definitely something to look at, as I only barely hit 100% fort.
as for your take on the items... I would like to keep my set-up as is. Yes, it may not be the best, but I like to have an all purpose gear set-up as opposed to 30 different wraps for 30 different types of mobs. This item set keeps it simple.

and to whoever asked for this in the online character generator, I'll have to go plug in everything XD. I shoyuld have it up in a couple of hours

[Anthios888]

I'm talking about the +4 bonus to a single stat that a bard can get (through fatesinger I believe)

I know you got that from the Mentaru page, but it's incorrect. Inspire Excellence used to be +4 to a stat, but it didn't stack with your +1 exceptional. The bard had to sing it 6 times over 3 minutes to give all of the stats. Now, that song is +2 stat to everything, and it stacks without issue.

[Coyopa]

fast healing from the fury of the wild destiny

I have to tell you that I don't really find this worth the cost of a twist on most my characters. The healing is too slow and not enough hp restored. One minute in game time is an eternity. It's nice if you're spending time running from fight to fight, like in the Demonweb or the King's Forest (when you're soloing these areas, I should add). Otherwise, I found there is just too much time between healing events with Fast Healing to make it worthwhile.

Since you're planning on stunning a lot, I'd really recommend Sense Weakness. The DPS you can put out with that twisted in on a stunned mob is jaw-dropping.

[pyntsized]

I have to tell you that I don't really find this worth the cost of a twist on most my characters. The healing is too slow and not enough hp restored. One minute in game time is an eternity. It's nice if you're spending time running from fight to fight, like in the Demonweb or the King's Forest (when you're soloing these areas, I should add). Otherwise, I found there is just too much time between healing events with Fast Healing to make it worthwhile.

Since you're planning on stunning a lot, I'd really recommend Sense Weakness. The DPS you can put out with that twisted in on a stunned mob is jaw-dropping.
yeah you are right. Since I do plan on stunning, I can just healing touch to heal. Is there any other tactic increasing abilities? Otherwise, I'll take this.

[TeacherSyn]

Shoot! I didn't realize the st. Markus helm was from sands. That mean I'll end up using my slightly less powerful head/neck combo of minos and silver flame talisman unless I get the helm before I TR. Your book of syncletia is nice spencer, only guide I have seen that is written like it would be taught instead of just blatantly saying things. Nice job with it.

It's the one thing that's great about the Forums; many people learn a new way or item to do something. Keeps you from trying the same ol' thing. As for the guide: You're welcome. It, too, gets as much correction from those here and elsewhere that read it, so it's a group effort.

[pyntsized]

I know you got that from the Mentaru page, but it's incorrect. Inspire Excellence used to be +4 to a stat, but it didn't stack with your +1 exceptional. The bard had to sing it 6 times over 3 minutes to give all of the stats. Now, that song is +2 stat to everything, and it stacks without issue.
Fixed. And no wonder I'm not getting a +4 bonus to a stat from bards anymore...

[Coyopa]

yeah you are right. Since I do plan on stunning, I can just healing touch to heal. Is there any other tactic increasing abilities? Otherwise, I'll take this.

To my knowledge, Legendary Tactics is the only twistable ability that will bump your Stunning Fist DC. Also, Sense Weakness does 30% extra damage (with 3 points invested) only while the mob is stunned, but the other damage applies all the time as the mob's hp goes down. Thus, stunned or not, you get:

1d8 extra untyped damage when the mob is below 75% health
1d12 + 1d8 extra untyped damage when the mob is below 50% health
1d20 + 1d12 + 1d8 extra untyped damaged when the mob is below 25% health

[pyntsized]

To my knowledge, Legendary Tactics is the only twistable ability that will bump your Stunning Fist DC. Also, Sense Weakness does 30% extra damage (with 3 points invested) only while the mob is stunned, but the other damage applies all the time as the mob's hp goes down. Thus, stunned or not, you get:

1d8 extra untyped damage when the mob is below 75% health
1d12 + 1d8 extra untyped damage when the mob is below 50% health
1d20 + 1d12 + 1d8 extra untyped damaged when the mob is below 25% health
build has been changed for sense weakness. Yet another tree I have to farm xp for...

[Anthios888]

To my knowledge, Legendary Tactics is the only twistable ability that will bump your Stunning Fist DC. Also, Sense Weakness does 30% extra damage (with 3 points invested) only while the mob is stunned, but the other damage applies all the time as the mob's hp goes down. Thus, stunned or not, you get:

1d8 extra untyped damage when the mob is below 75% health
1d12 + 1d8 extra untyped damage when the mob is below 50% health
1d20 + 1d12 + 1d8 extra untyped damaged when the mob is below 25% health

I thought that the extra damage procs don't work on unarmed? I can't test right now, but I remember reading that it was not working with handwraps.

(The helpless damage still does work, making it a must even if the other portion does not work. GRIND GRIND GRIND, Pynt!)

[pyntsized]

anyone know some good epic quests to farm besides last stand and dun'robar?

[Arzoc]

Seeing as I don't have access to horc, been thinking about a workaround within the build. What about going dwarf for tactical enhancements, ability to still hit 16 in the primary stats and fire/air stances for combat rather than water/air? Are the fire/air redundant for combat stances? (As in I'd rather use one or the other)

I'm aware of the shortcomings dmg-wise, lack of pa/str enhancements etc but I'm trying to work with what I have so any advice is appreciated

EDIT: To provide some additional information that could be asked for, it will be 36pt build and I do have epic destinies and will probably(depending on how I like it) end up with the same build again, either that or the actual Metaru 2.0 build next life for PL: monk so ED discussion is valid and appreciated as well. Do note I only have +2 tomes in all stats, seeing as I'm excited to play monk I will not be sticking around long to farm out any +3's etc. Working on stonedust, jidz etc, just monk gear I'll be in need of and that's it

[pyntsized]

Seeing as I don't have access to horc, been thinking about a workaround within the build. What about going dwarf for tactical enhancements, ability to still hit 16 in the primary stats and fire/air stances for combat rather than water/air? Are the fire/air redundant for combat stances? (As in I'd rather use one or the other)

I'm aware of the shortcomings dmg-wise, lack of pa/str enhancements etc but I'm trying to work with what I have so any advice is appreciated

EDIT: To provide some additional information that could be asked for, it will be 36pt build and I do have epic destinies and will probably(depending on how I like it) end up with the same build again, either that or the actual Metaru 2.0 build next life for PL: monk so ED discussion is valid and appreciated as well. Do note I only have +2 tomes in all stats, seeing as I'm excited to play monk I will not be sticking around
long to farm out any +3's etc. Working on stonedust, jidz etc, just monk gear I'll be in need of and that's it

in my opinion, going fire/air is redundant, mainly because if you are going dps as a monk, most people choose one of those two and a secondary (earth or water) for either stunning or tanking. It is a viable choice however.
going dwarf, like you said, will be sub-par compared to h-orc, but it should still work b/c you are able to hit the stat requirements. Since you are going dwarf i'd suggest going fire/earth or air/earth. Earth just b/c you have the con enhancements instead of str enhancements.
ED wise, i'd just go GMoF and pick what you like. Some people don't want extra ki regen like I do. Something to definitely consider are the ED abilities that give bonuses for stances, as those are always nice, even for a non-monk.
regarding lack of +3 and +4 tomes: thats fine. I only put those in my build because that is what I'll have and, tbh, I made this build just for me. Without the +4 wis, your base should still hit high enough for vorpal strikes.
if you intend on doing multiple monk lives, try out the actual metaru

[pyntsized]

Thread's been dead for a while, but I thought I'd necro it for an update!

Currently, Shieldsteel is lvl 21 and BEASTING!

-Great dps (80+ damage on stunned mobs)
-Stun DC of 50 (iirc)
-70 AC (when in ocean stance)
-Amazing survivability
-Can double as an EH Tank (worked in EH Devils Assault just fine. 25% dodge chance is over powered)

Not much to say, other than that I found a +3 to +4 con tome which is really nice